A 'SMALL explosion' forced fire crews to cordon off an area of Bicester town centre yesterday.

Firefighters were called to reports of the explosion involving an underground cable near Scrivens Opticians in Sheep Street at around 2.15pm.

The cable had been smoking and disturbed the concrete, meaning crews had to cordon off an area including Scrivens and the British Heart Foundation charity shop.

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The electricity board was also called to fix the problem.